


Free Fallin'

by EmpressOfEdge



Series: Bumbleby Week 2019 [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Beacon Academy, Beacon Bees, Bumbleby Week 2019, F/F, Fluff, Humor, they're just young and unknowingly in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 00:08:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19878361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressOfEdge/pseuds/EmpressOfEdge
Summary: Blake rolled her eyes. “Yang, you’re going to get yourself killed, and I’m not going to be the one to tell Glynda.”“Oh please,” Yang said waving off the concern and tugging her other boot off. “I’ve done far more dangerous. Besides, we got launched off a cliff into the Emerald Forest. If I die jumping off a cliff into water, I honestly deserve it.”Day 5: Beacon Days





	Free Fallin'

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops! Little late in the day on this one, but hope you enjoy!!

Blake had never been on a motorcycle before Bumblebee, but she'd quickly understood why Yang loved it so much. There was something freeing about it. About the wind against her cheeks and the only thing keeping her from sliding off the bike being her grip around Yang’s waist.

It had been Yang’s idea to take the day trip together. With finals over and the Vytal Festival coming up they were in a rare stretch of downtime where they weren’t expected to be in class or fight or train. They were free to just be 17 and Blake was excited.

Originally, Blake had thought it would be a team outing. Ruby was always so big on team bonding, and while Blake loved their leader – and even the Ice Queen – she was relieved when she had realized it was just going to be the two of them.

Relieved and maybe a little nervous.

It was ridiculous, really. Yang and her were friends. Good friends. _Best_ friends. But for some reason she still got a little anxious when they were alone together.

She’d never show it, of course. She didn’t want Yang to think that it was that she didn’t feel safe, or didn’t trust her; when, really, it was the exact opposite. Blake had never felt so safe with another person before. Had never felt so free to be who she was without fear of judgement or anger. It was a foreign concept to her, so maybe that was why she got butterflies whenever Yang was around.

It would certainly be easier to deal with than the alternative.

They pulled to a stop at the bottom of a hill. And by hill Blake meant mountain. Or so it felt as she looked up at the steep slope.

Yang had been relatively vague about where they were going today, so Blake was stumped as to why this was their destination.

Maybe for the view? If Blake’s senses could be trusted – which they usually could – she could’ve sworn they were by the water. The air was laced with salt and she could hear waves breaking against the side of the cliff.

“The ocean?” Blake asked, raising an eyebrow as Yang dismounted her bike and took off her helmet.

Yang paused, glancing up at Blake with a smirk. “Man, you are impossible to surprise, Belladonna.”

Blake rolled her eyes, hopping off the back of Bumblebee and unclasping the chin strap on her helmet. She let out a sigh of relief as she let her ears wriggle beneath the bow on her head. She frowned thoughtfully, looking around as she fidgeted with the helmet, still in her hands.

“Is… this okay?” Yang asked, eying Blake cautiously as she rested her helmet on her bike’s seat.

Blake glanced up at her. “Oh, yeah, of course,” she said with a shake of her head, putting her helmet down too. “I was just… thinking.”

Yang smirked. “Well, don’t think too hard!” She said with a laugh. “It’s a fun day, today.”

Blake looked at her with a small smile and decided to go for it. They were practically in the middle of nowhere, with no one in sight, and she felt she could trust Yang not to make a big deal of it.

With a breath, Blake reached up and swiftly undid the bow on her head, letting out a satisfied hum as the cool ocean breeze hit her ears and ruffled her hair.

Yang looked at her with a smile, but didn’t comment anything other than, “Ready?”

Blake raised an eyebrow, rolling up her ribbon and slipping it into her pocket for later. “Ready for what?”

Yang held out her hand with a chuckle and Blake eyed it warily. Yang rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, just trust me.”

And without hesitation, Blake’s hand slipped into hers. That was something they’d been doing more often. Blake had never really been one to be overly affectionate with friends. Handholding and hugging and even simple touches were rare, but with Yang it felt natural.

Maybe it was just because it was Yang’s nature. She’d always been more nurturing than the other girls on the team. It almost made Blake sad, knowing where it came from, that Yang was forced to grow up too soon. That she had to fill the role of a mother for Ruby, even if she was just two years her elder.

But this wasn’t the same. Blake had thought that maybe it was, but she’d seen the way Yang cared for her sister first-hand. She’d seen the way Yang acted around their other friends too and it was… different than how she acted around Blake.

Around Blake she was softer. More vulnerable. And Blake felt a little honored that maybe Yang trusted her that much.

Trusted her enough to be nothing but herself.

As Yang pulled her up the hill, their fingers interlocked; and _that_ was new. The way Yang’s hand fit against hers – soft and warm and maybe just a little sweaty – felt _right_ and Blake could feel her cheeks flush.

She didn’t stop thinking about why her stomach was in knots the entire way up, which was both a blessing and a curse, because it kept her mind occupied enough to distract her from the burn in her legs as they finally neared the top of the cliff, but it also forced her to have some revelations that maybe she just didn’t want to deal with today.

“I thought maybe this would be a good idea,” Yang said, only slightly winded. “I miss the _water._ I know we have the docks in the city, but it’s… it’s not the same y’know?”

Blake smiled. “Yeah,” she said, softly. The quiet places near the water were definitely what Blake missed most about Menagerie. She’d go out there a lot when she was younger and would fight with her parents. She’d go out there a lot when she would fight with Adam. It was her solace, her place of peace.

Her place to be herself.

And now, as they reached the top of the cliff that overlooked the ocean, Yang’s hand still gripping her own, she’d never felt more at home.

“Wow,” Blake said, releasing Yang’s hand and stepping closer to the edge to look down at the water. It wasn’t as clear as Menagerie’s but it was just as inviting. Just as soothing to Blake’s ears. She shook her head and started to turn back around and face Yang. “How did you even—what are you doing?”

Blake raised an eyebrow. Yang had shed her jacket and was working on the buckle of her belt and the sight of her partner stripping down out of context was… confusing. On several levels.

“Well, I’m not gonna get the leather wet,” Yang said with a shrug, dropping her belt to the ground and starting to tug off a boot.

“Excuse me?” Blake was lost. The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, why would anything be getting— _Wait._ Blake shook her head. “No.”

Yang grinned. “ _Yes.”_

“Yang.”

“Blake.”

“It’s _Fall.”_

“It’s _fine._ ”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Yang, you’re going to get yourself killed, and I’m _not_ going to be the one to tell Glynda.”

“Oh please,” Yang said waving off the concern and tugging her other boot off. “I’ve done far more dangerous. Besides, we got launched off a cliff into the Emerald Forest. If I die jumping off a cliff into _water_ , I honestly deserve it.”

Blake frowned, her nose scrunching up as she peered back over the edge of the cliff into the water below. They weren’t _too_ high, but who knew how deep the water was, or what may be lurking beneath?

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and turned to face her partner.

“Now, I guess the only question is… are you gonna join me?” Yang grinned wide and took a step closer, her perfume carrying in the air and consuming Blake’s senses.

Blake could feel the challenge. She could also see that Yang wasn’t expecting her to say yes, which is maybe why she found herself stripping down to t-shirt and shorts, folding up her tights and vest and placing them next to Yang’s discarded clothing, well aware of how her partner watched her every move.

She smirked up at Yang and shrugged, feeling a certain amount of self-satisfaction when she noticed the other girl’s cheeks tint pink. “We doing this, Xiao Long?”

Yang shook her head, grin returning as she huffed a laugh. “Knew you didn’t back down from a challenge.”

It was Blake’s turn to blush and she rolled her eyes, pushing Yang lightly on the shoulder and nearing the edge of the cliff again. “Let’s just go already,” Blake said, looking over the edge one more time before walking back to Yang’s side.

Yang took a deep breath and looked at Blake. “On three?”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

Yang nodded. “Okay. One… two…” Yang grabbed Blake’s hand and when she said ‘three,’ Blake almost forgot to start running.

They went sprinting towards the ledge together, hands clasped tight and giggles escaping them as they ran. Then, when they hit the end of the cliff, they jumped.

It was that same feeling Blake got on the motorcycle, the exhilaration of freedom coursing through her veins, down to where her and Yang’s hand clasped tightly to her own until the water grew close and they had to separate as they landed with a splash.

It was _cold._ But, it only fed Blake’s adrenaline as she made her way back up to the surface. She breached with a gasp, Yang following only a second later and letting out a loud ‘whoop’ into the crisp Fall air, followed by a string of giggles as she treaded water and looked up at where they’d jumped from.

“That was _awesome!”_ Yang looked at Blake, beaming, and suddenly the water didn’t seem so cold anymore. Yang swam a little closer, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you actually did it,” she said with a chuckle.

Blake rolled her eyes. “Your plans might be stupid, but they’re usually fun,” Blake admitted, laughing.

Yang smirked. “All I heard was you think I’m fun.”

Blake splashed her and Yang laughed as she ran a hand over her face and dove towards Blake, wrapping her arms around her waist and trying to drag her underwater to no avail. They ended up laughing again, Blake’s head dropping onto Yang’s shoulder until finally the laughter stopped and Blake found herself not wanting Yang to let go.

It was _terrifying_. More terrifying than anything Blake had done today. Even if she’d started to accept that there could be something there… even if she’d started letting herself feel it… it was scary, and dangerous, and today wasn’t the day to deal with it. Not with the tournament so soon and team RWBY needing to be battle ready.

So, reluctantly, she pulled away, thinking – for a moment – that maybe Yang’s shoulders sagged as they separated.

Blake sighed, looking around and squinting. “So… how do we get back to your bike?”

Yang’s brow furrowed and she looked up, then behind her, then up again. “Probably should’ve thought about that, huh?”

It took… Blake didn’t know how long it took for them to reach the shore, let alone walk along the side of the road, barefoot, in soaking wet clothes back to where Yang had parked her motorcycle. But it must have been at least an hour total, because by the time they got back, the sun was just starting to get low in the sky.

Yang collapsed into the grass at the bottom of the hill once they returned and Blake sighed.

“We still have to—”

Yang groaned. “I _know.”_ She huffed, lifting herself back onto her feet, and Blake and her walked back up to the top of the hill.

The clothes they’d jumped into the water with had dried pretty well by now and they slipped their missing pieces back on quickly. Blake let out a happy hum as she slipped back into her jacket and looked out at the view.

“Y’know…” Yang said slowly, drawing Blake’s attention. “We don’t have to head back yet. Besides, I could use some time to rest before we hop back on Bumblebee.”

Blake smiled and walked over to the edge of the cliff, sitting down and letting her legs dangle over the edge as she listened to the waves crash and watched the sunset. Yang joined her only a second later, sitting a little closer than necessary and making Blake’s heart flutter.

“We should try to do this more often,” Blake said, her gaze still fixed forward, the lack of eye contact emboldening her.

“Jump off cliffs?” Yang said with a chuckle.

Blake laughed, but shook her head. “No. I think I’ve had enough of that.” She paused before saying, “I meant… us hanging out. Just the—just the two of us.”

She felt like that was a safe way to extend the offer. A safe way to say that maybe someday this could be something else. But until then…

Blake felt a hand cover her own and her ears stood straight up. She chanced a glance at her partner only to find her staring out over the water, a light blush on her cheeks.

Yang cleared her throat and a shy smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I think… I think I’d like that.”

Blake smiled to herself, then down at their hands, then back out at the ocean.

Maybe she’d come down with a cold after being out in the water in the middle of Fall… but she felt it was a small price to pay with the promise of more days like this just on the horizon.

**Author's Note:**

> I was honestly struggling with this one, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! Thanks for reading and please drop comments, kudos, etc! Y'all have been making my days like... amazing with your comments. <3
> 
> Have a great day/ night!
> 
> Feel free to shoot me asks on tumblr: @empressofedge


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